Mind Games
by Axel Cutlass
Summary: It's Kim's last summer before she goes to college, but she's still having trouble deciding which college to go to.  But a new villain is about to give her an even bigger strain on her brain.
1. A New Sitch

I do not own Kim Possible.

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Kim Possible sifted through hundreds of college acceptance letters. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to apply to nearly every college in the world.

After finishing reading letter number 322, Kim decided she needed a break. She brushed a hand through her red hair and got up from the breakfast nook table where all the letters were put into two piles; read and unread.

She went to cupboard and grabbed a glass out of it and then went to the sink and filled it with water. It was a hot day in June in Middleton. It was just way too hot to sit in the same spot and read "You have been accepted" over and over again.

Kim was wearing blue jean-shorts and her lime-green cut-off. She sat back at the table with her glass and took a gulp.

Just then, Dr. Anne Possible came into the room, getting ready to head to work at the hospital.

"Morning, Kimmie," she said, "How goes the college hunt?"

"Morning Mom," said Kim, "Incredibly boring, and tedious."

"Have you narrowed down the field any since the last time you looked through?"

"Well, I have decided that I think I'll stay in this country."

"That does narrow it down some. But you do know that you have to choose pretty soon. It's only about two-and-a-half months before college starts."

"But no pressure, right?"

"Of course, no pressure. But I just don't see how hard it is to pick. You can go anywhere you like and, well, dare I say, can do anything."

"That's what makes it so hard to decide Mom. I can do anything I want, but I don't know what I want to do."

"Didn't you once say you wanted to go into international diplomacy?"

"Yeah, but I'm not so sure about that anymore."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be able to make a decision. I have to get to work. I've got two surgeries this morning for starters." Dr. Possible came over to her daughter and gave her a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "See you later, Kimmie."

"Bye, Mom."

Mrs. Dr. Possible walked out of the room and then out of the house, leaving Kim Possible alone in the house. Mr. Dr. Possible was already at work at the space station. Jim and Tim were at the Middleton Mall, playing at the arcade.

Kim took another drink out of her glass of water. "Okay, on to letter number 323."

Just then, the familiar tone of the Kimmunicator rang out. Kim reached into her pocket and pulled it out. She pressed the button and the screen came to life, showing Wade sitting in his room at his multiple computers.

"What's up, Wade?" Kim asked.

"Hey, Kim," answered Wade with a smile, but then his expression changed to a slightly confused one. "Late spring cleaning?" he asked, observing the piles of letters on the table.

"No, going through the college acceptances again."

"Oh, ha, been there."

"Hey, Wade, what college was it that you went to during your school… uhh… months?"

"Well, I didn't actually physically _go_ to the college, but I went straight for the top and went for Harvard."

"Really? I got two letters from them. They wanted to make sure I got the first one."

"Where have you been thinking of going?"

"I have no idea, and I think my head is going to explode if I read the rest of these acceptance letters."

"Well, then I have just the remedy. There's a hit on the site."

"I'd prefer a mission to this any day. What's the sitch?"

"There's been a break-in at the Middleton Museum."

"What's the damage?"

"That's just it, Kim. Nothing's been stolen. I tapped into the security feed from last night. Look at this."

Wade pressed a button on his computer and the screen changed to a camera that was watching the outside of the Middleton Museum. A figure appeared and quickly approached the front door, his face away from the camera. They were wearing a black, trench coat. The figure took out a tool and stuck into the lock and managed to break open the door and ran inside. The screen flashed back to Wade.

"Somehow, he was able to get through all of the security."

"So who would break into a museum and not do anything?" asked Kim.

"That's another thing, Kim. The person who placed the hit believes they might still be hiding in the building. They could use your help."

"Okay, I'm on my way."

"I already called Ron. He's on the way to your house."

"Thanks Wade."

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Kim made her way to the Middleton Museum in the Roth SL Coupe 2.0 wearing her mission gear with Ron Stoppable sitting on the passenger side in his mission clothes as well.

"So a burglar goes into a museum and doesn't… uhh… burgle anything, if that's a word," said Ron.

"That's pretty much it," said Kim.

"What's the point, then? I mean, that's like, the only reason people voluntarily go into museums these days. At least people we encounter."

"I don't know. He could be just another one of those thrill-seekers, breaking into places for the sake of breaking into them. We'll find out when we get there, I suppose."

"So, have you finished going through the college acceptances yet?"

Kim let out a sigh, "No, not yet. It's driving me crazy. I don't know which one to choose. Did you get any yet?"

"Yes, I did get a few." Ron had applied to nearly every college in the world like Kim did; only he hadn't gotten anything close to the acceptances Kim had received. "But somehow, a couple of them forgot my name. How do you forget somebody's name when you're using the internet? And it's not even a hard name to forget. And somehow, Rufus got an acceptance letter to a college I applied to."

Rufus popped out of Ron's pocket just then. "Woohoo, yeah!" he squeaked.

"But what I'm worried about the most is that if we go to two different colleges, then we won't get to see each other much."

"Oh, Ron…"

"I mean, you'll have classes, and I'll have classes. Sure, we might have the weekends and winter and summer vacation, but we'll both be working. Maybe we'll have the occasional mission, but…"

"Ron!" cried Kim, putting one hand on his shoulder.

"What?"

"It's going to be okay. We'll find a way to see each other. Maybe we can both go to the same college. I'm sure I've been accepted to any college you've been accepted to."

"I'm just worried that we might get split up and never get to see each other. You know what they say about long distance relationships."

"Don't worry Ron. We'll find a way to make it work."

"Aww," Rufus sighed.

Kim pulled up to the parking lot of the Middleton Museum and found a parking spot. She turned the engine off and she, Ron, and Rufus, came out of the car and walked up to the museum.

A security guard was standing by the door. "Oh, Kim Possible," he said, recognizing her from the many news programs reporting her rescues and missions, "What brings you here?"

"We're here to investigate the break-in."

"Break-in? No such thing has occurred here."

"What? But we received a hit on the site. There was even video footage."

"Really?"

"Yeah, check it out." Kim pulled out her Kimmunicator and replayed the footage that Wade had shown her earlier to the guard.

"Hmm, well I'll be. But the lock here is intact. And no security has been set off. And no one has reported of anyone breaking in."

Kim turned the Kimmunicator towards her and beeped in Wade.

"Wade, are you sure about this break-in. There's no sign of entry and nobody's claimed break-in."

"That camera footage was no lie. I would say the person is still in there, like the hit said."

"Can you trace where the hit came from?"

"With my eyes closed." Wade began typing a few buttons on his computer. In a few seconds he said, "Whoa."

"Whoa?"

"Yeah, a 'whoa' from Wade is never a good 'whoa'," said Ron.

"The hit came from inside the museum," said Wade, "from a personal computer."

"Officer," said Kim, "we need to get in the building. Whoever broke in last night is still in there."

"All right," said the security guard, "I'll round up security and we'll do a search. Good thing we're not open today."

The group went inside the building and the guard broke off from them. Ron and Kim started searching through the museum.

They came to a large circular room with paintings along the outside. "So if I broke into a museum and didn't want to steal anything," said Ron, "where would I hide?"

"I'm still wondering how this hit was made," said Kim, "or more importantly, who made it."

Just then, the lights in the room went out. "Yeah," said Ron, "I'm gonna make a wild guess and say the person who just turned the lights out.

In the darkness, a single white light came on from above in the middle of the room. Suddenly there were loud sliding noises. Kim could barely see that it was the barred security gates shutting and locking into place. They were trapped.

Kim reached for the Kimmunicator and turned it on, only to find that there was nothing on the screen but static.

"Don't bother, Kim Posssible," said a deep voice from the darkness, "I've jammed the signal for your Kimmunicator for this area. You won't be calling for help. Besides, there's no need for it."

"Show yourself," demanded Kim.

"Very well," said the voice.

From the darkness, a figure emerged into the light, mere feet from Kim and Ron. They were slightly startled by the appearance of the figure. He was slightly taller than Kim. He was dressed all in black. He was wearing a black trench coat, a black shirt, and black jeans with black pocket packs attached and black boots. On his face, he wore a mask. It was rounded like a hockey mask, but it was split into two colors, the left side was black, and the right was silver. In the middle of the mask was a small silver loop protruding into the black side, making the mask look like two pieces of a puzzle. The only holes in the mask were near the mouth for breathing and at the eyes, which showed them to be a dark blue.

"Kim Possible," he said, his voice sounded half-robotic, it was possibly being spoken through a voice changer, "at last we meet, face-to-face."

"The mask kind of eliminates the face-to-face part, don't you think?" said Kim.

The masked stranger seemed surprised by Kim's remark, but the he let out a short chuckle, "Always the witty one, aren't you?"

"So, who are you?"

"Pardon my manners. My name is Mindbend."

"Okay, Mindbend, what are you doing here?"

"Actually, I'm here for you."

Kim and Ron looked at each other with a puzzled look. Then they both looked back to Mindbend.

"It was just too easy to lure you here," he said, reaching into the inside of his trench coat, and then pulling out a laptop. "All I have to do is call for help and you come running, no matter what the… sitch. This also is my means of jamming your Kimmunicator signal. It was actually slightly challenging."

"So, what do you want with me?" asked Kim.

"For the past few years, you've been my target Kim Possible. I've been watching you for some time now. And, no, not in that way. I'm not some sort of sick stalker." Mindbend pulled out a remote from one of his pockets after putting the laptop back in the inside of his jacket. He pressed a button and a screen lowered from the ceiling. He hit another button on the remote and a bunch of images of Kim and Ron on their missions suddenly appeared.

"I've been studying you, learning how you do what you do. It seems that you could actually be the only one who could stop me from accomplishing my goal."

"Let me guess, world domination?" asked Ron.

"No, Ron, I've no desire to take over the world like those other idiots. It's just too much responsibility. No, I have another goal that I know you two would catch onto and try to stop me. So I just need to remove you from the equation."

Kim quickly got into a fighting position, "You won't be taking us out without a fight."

"Hold on," said Mindbend, raising a hand, "I didn't say anything about killing you. I just need you to be unable to stop me. Not that you're any match for my genius."

"Your genius? No one's a match for my… uhh… our… _combined _intelligence," said Ron.

"I hope your including your Wade Load friend in that. If you are, then you're just nowhere close to being right. With no ego, I can say that I am the most intelligent person on this planet, as you will soon learn."

"What? Wade's a super-genius. Nobody's smarter than him."

"My name's Mindbend, not nobody."

"So, back to my original question, what do you want?" asked Kim.

Mindbend waved a finger. "That is something you have to figure out for yourself."

"Won't have to."

Kim spring jumped towards Mindbend and went for a flying kick. Mindbend jumped out of the way. Kim went for multiple kicks and punches, but to Kim's surprise, he blocked every single move. Mindbend back flipped and then hit a roundhouse kick, catching Kim in the face and knocking her down.

Ron came after Mindbend but he quickly clothes lined him, bringing Ron down hard.

Kim got back up but MindBend leaped into the darkness. She looked around for any sign of his movement but she couldn't.

"Kim, if you want to find the answer," Mindbend's voice echoed out from somewhere in the room, "it's right above you, but if you look up, it'll just go behind you."

After a few seconds, the lights came back on and Mindbend was gone.

"Wha-where did he go?" asked Ron, getting up from the floor.

"He's gone. Are you all right?" asked Kim.

"Yeah, but what was that about? That whole 'above you behind you' thing?"

"I don't know. It sounded like some sort of riddle. Maybe he was just trying to confuse us."

"He did that to me."

"Ohh, me too," squeaked Rufus.

Just then, the security bars opened up and a group of security guards came into the room. "Did you find the culprit?" asked one of them.

Kim sighed at the fact that she would have to explain that they got away. But now she was very confused. What could this Mindbend person have been up to? And what could that last thing he said have meant. This was going to be a major headache.

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This is my first KP fanfic, so please review it. I hope you enjoy it. 


	2. Always Above You

Kim and Ron were sitting at a booth at Bueno Nacho with their standard orders; Kim with a salad and Ron with an order of Nacos that he shared with Rufus.

Kim held on to the Kimmunicator in her left hand as she spoke to Wade into it. She had just finished explaining the situation that happened in the Middleton Museum.

"This guy said that he was smarter than me?" asked Wade, a little surprised and upset.

"Yeah, I know," said Kim, "I thought that maybe he was just a little over-confident, but he did use the site to lure us in."

"Yeah, but a couple of people have used the site to try and get to you before."

"True, but not directly like this. So, have you found anything on this Mindbend guy?"

"Nothing. I've scanned all over but I haven't found anything. I'm thinking this is his first crime."

"You know," said Ron, with a mouthful of Naco, "for a rookie, this guy is pretty good. He hasn't made any of the mistakes like the Seniors or maybe even Drakken makes."

"True," said Kim, "his moves seem pretty precise, and something tells me we've just seen the beginning. So Wade, how about the super-genius take on the message that Mindbend gave us."

"I… I can't figure it out Kim, it's pretty cryptic. 'The answer is right above you, but if you look up, it will just go behind you.' Did Mindbend stick something in your hair or something like that?"

"No, I checked. Nothing in there."

"Then, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm stumped."

"Wade, stumped!?" cried Ron, dropping his Naco on Rufus.

"Hey," squealed Rufus, but some of the cheese slid into his mouth. "Mmmm," he squeaked as he ate what was covering him.

"This can't mean that someone is actually smarter than our Wade," Ron continued, somewhat panicked.

"Well, there was that one time that Rufus was smarter than me, after he was hit with Project Phoebus. Of course, that was only temporary."

"Oh, yeah," squeaked Rufus, popping out of a hole in the Naco that he ate through.

"Hmm, I wonder," said Kim.

"What's up, KP?" asked Ron.

"I wonder if maybe this guy is somehow related to Project Phoebus. As far as we know, that's the only way to get smarter than Wade."

"Well, I'm not the only super-genius in the world Kim."

"But you're the only one who could run some checks to see if anything has happened with Project Phoebus. New developments, or theft."

"Gotcha. I'll get on it."

"Please and thank you." Kim turned off the Kimmunicator and began to eat her salad.

"At least it was nice of the guy to leave us a clue," said Ron, "I don't think any of our foes have done this before. It's a nice change of pace to have an even playing field."

"It's not like choosing a college was bad enough, now I have this Mindbend person targeting me and giving me puzzles."

"So what do we do now?" asked Ron as he took another bite out of his Naco.

"I guess we'll just have to wait until he strikes again, or until Wade can find him again."

"Since when are you the sit down and wait type Kim?"

"Oh, I've got something to occupy my time."

"Oh, yeah, college acceptances. If you want, I could help you go through them. I've kinda already finished mine."

"I think I'll definitely keep you around Ron."

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Back at the Possible home, Kim continued opening envelopes that had college acceptance letters in them. But this time Ron and Rufus was with her to help her get through them all.

"Hey, at this rate, we just might finish through them tonight," said Kim.

"Yeah, and we'll be able to make a huge contribution to the recycling center," said Ron, opening a letter. "Aaah, paper cut," he yelped as he dropped the letter and held his finger.

"Ehh," squeaked Rufus, "rookie." He then grabbed an envelope and cut the top open using his teeth.

"You know, I think it was definitely a bad idea to apply to every single college in the world."

"I'm already beating myself up about that Ron, please."

"So which college are you planning on going to?"

"I have no idea. I'm still eliminating options. Which one are you planning on going to?"

"Well, based with my limited choices and lack of people who can remember my name, I think I'll just be going to Middleton College. But I'm going to put in a major of 'Undecided' since there seems to be nothing suited for me yet."

"I'm sure there will be something for you Ron."

"But what are you going to major in? They don't have a 'world-saving' major. I mean, that would be so cool if they did. Then we could ace it for sure."

"Yeah, that would make it a lot easier."

Just then, Ron and Kim heard the front door open. They looked up to the entrance to the breakfast nook. They saw Mr. Dr. James Possible come I with a pile of letters in his hands.

"Hi, dad," said Kim, then she noticed the letters in his hands. "Oh, no. Not more acceptance letters."

"You know Kimmie-cub," said Dr. Possible, "a lot of kids would be grateful to only get a fraction of the amount you're getting."

"I'd be happy to give those kids some of mine."

Dr. Possible put the letters on the table, making the endless pile seem even more so. Kim let out a big sigh.

"Don't worry, Kimmie. I'm sure that the one you're looking for is in there somewhere."

"Oooh, Yale," said Ron, "I think that's where my Dad graduated from… aah, another paper cut."

Rufus started laughing at Ron's lack of letter-opening skills.

"Well, I think we can eliminate postman and secretary from your career choices," said Kim, laughing a little bit.

"Maybe I could just use Rufus as my letter-opener."

"Yipe," yelped Rufus as he scurried into Ron's pocket and buttoned it.

"Ron, maybe you should head home. This should be my burden to bare, not yours."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'll call you later." Kim leaned over and kissed Ron on the cheek. Ron got up and headed out the door. Then he turned around and said, "KP, what about…"

"I'll let you know the minute Wade beeps me about anything," said Kim, reading Ron's mind.

Ron headed out the door.

"Let him know about what?" asked Dr. Possible.

"Oh, just a new villain named Mindbend. He's leaving us cryptic clues about a scheme he's up to."

"Mindbend? Sounds mind-boggling," Dr. Possible laughed to himself a tiny bit at the joke he made.

"Does the phrase 'the answer is above you, but if you look up, it will just go behind you' mean anything to you?"

"Hmm, sounds like a mind bender."

"What?"

"A mind bender. Another name for riddles or puzzles. Sometimes they're called mind teasers, or brain teasers. Me and my fellow workers at the station like to give each other some once in a while. You know, just to keep our minds going. Here's an example, what's the fastest way to get to Miami, Florida from Moscow, Russia?"

"Well, that's easy. You take a trans-continental flight from Moscow directly to Los Angeles because the plane will need re-fueling. Then you could make the flight from L.A to…" but Kim stopped as she saw her father shaking his head no.

"Okay, not a plane. Uhh… a rocket?"

"Nope. The answer may not be as complicated as you think Kimmie. You just have to use your head."

Kim laid her head down on her arms on the table. This was starting to get to her. College acceptances, Mindbend, riddles. It was getting to be too much for her brain. She brought her hands to her head, as if it would stop the thoughts swirling around in her head.

_Wait a minute, brain? _thought Kim.

She pushed her hands to her head. _Your brain is always above you._ She looked directly up to the ceiling above her. _With the way my head is angled, I guess my mind would be behind me._

"That's it!" she cried in excitement, "I got it!"

"What's it?" asked Dr. Possible, slightly startled by Kim.

"I figured out Mindbend's riddle. The answer is my mind. It's always above me, but if I look up, it would be behind me."

"Hey, you're right. That was a good one."

"So, the answer is in my mind. What could that mean? Great. Out of one puzzle and into another."

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Thanks to those of you who read the first chapter. I'm glad you liked it. Please keep on sending those reviews. 


	3. Stress in the Workplace

The next day, Kim was at Club Banana working the afternoon shift. She, along with Monique, was stocking shelves in the front for new sales items. Kim had just finished telling Monique about the new sitch with Mindbend.

"Sounds like a stalker," Monique said when Kim finished, "except with a more of an intelligence spin."

"No," said Kim, "if he was a stalker, he could have shown videos of me in the shower or something like that. Instead, all he had were videos of me and Ron on our missions."

"So, what do you think he's up to?"

"The answer to his first riddle was that the answer was in my mind. All I've gotten from that is maybe his scheme has something to do with me. He did say I was the only one who could stop him, and that I would get involved with his scheme anyway."

"Graduated from high school and you're still dealing with weirdoes."

"They're probably just going to get weirder as I go along."

"You think you're going to be able to still do the teen-hero thing once you go to college?"

"I have every college in the world drooling to get me to go to their school. Me saving the world while I'm at their college would get them plenty of attention in fame. I'm sure they would let me do it."

"Man, I wish I could get the fame you have."

"Oh, but Monique, you're going to one of the biggest fashion schools in the country. Before you know it, you'll be the next Kevin Dunn."

Monique raised an eyebrow and put a hand on her hip.

"Okay, maybe not Kevin Dunn, but you get my point."

Then Monique smiled, "Yeah, I know what you meant. Thanks Kim."

"What are BFs for?"

"Kim!" called out the manager, "Phone for you."

Kim walked over to the front desk and took the phone from her. The manager walked into her office.

"Hello?" said Kim.

"Hello Kim," said a half-robotic and sinister voice.

Kim gasped. "Mindbend."

"That's right."

"What do you want?"

"Well, first of all, I'd like to congratulate you on solving my riddle. I have to be honest; I thought it would take you a little longer to figure it out."

"Yeah, the answer is in my mind. Now what the heck do you mean by that?"

Mindbend chuckled slightly. "All good things to those who wait. It's time to give you you're next task."

"You couldn't wait until after I was done with work?"

"No, because it's at where you work. By the way, you have something on your upper lip."

Kim looked to a face mirror on the desk and checked her lip. There was a small little piece of something on it and she wiped it off with her index finger. Then her eyes widened as she realized what was happening.

Over the line, Mindbend was snickering.

"Where are you?" asked Kim, looking around for where Mindbend could have been watching from.

"Don't bother Kimberly. I can see you perfectly but you won't be able to see me at all."

"Oh yeah, anybody could have pulled off that 'upper lip' thing. What am I wearing? "

"You're wearing a short-sleeve, dark red shirt with three, no, four stripes of a lighter shade. You're wearing khaki pants with it and white shoes. I don't know if it's fashionable or not, but I was never a judge of what people were wearing."

Kim was convinced now. That was exactly what she was wearing. "Okay, what do you want?"

"It's not what I want. It's what you _don't _want. There is a bomb somewhere in the Middleton Mall. It packs enough to turn the place into a crater."

Kim tensed up. She looked around at Monique who was still stacking clothes on the sales shelves. She also that a few customers had entered the store, which made her think of all the people in the mall.

"So, how do I stop it?"

"Well, I'll give you a hint. It's watching you, right now."

"But you're watching me right now."

"True."

Kim looked around as nonchalantly as she could so that none of the customers would notice her. Then Kim looked up to a top corner of the store and found a security camera that was pointed straight at her. She let out a small gasp as it dawned on her.

"Peek-a-boo," said Mindbend.

"It's in the camera. You tapped into the security system and you're watching me through the camera."

"Very good, Kim. You're catching on," Mindbend said, as if he was proud of her.

"How do I diffuse it?"

"Kim, you must have done this a hundred times. I'm sure you're capable of diffusing a bomb. But this one has a motion sensor, and it's locked on you. If you move off-screen of the camera's sight, the bomb will go off."

Just then the manager came up to Kim. "Kim," she said, "There's a woman over by the jeans rack who needs some help. Could you wrap up that call?"

"This is kind of an important call," said Kim.

"You can't continue it later?"

"Well, actually…"

"Don't tell her Kim," said Mindbend over the phone, unheard by the manager.

"Not really, no, but…"

"Kim, you say one word and it's roughly 18 percent of Hiroshima."

"I'll do what I can."

"Well, try to finish it up." The manager walked away and Kim breathed a sigh of relief.

"Very good, Kim," said Mindbend, "Now, how do you plan to diffuse the bomb? It would be pretty suspicious if someone saw you taking apart a security camera."

"I could wait until after closing."

"I don't think that woman by the jeans rack can wait forever. I don't think your boss could either."

"Wait a minute. How do I know there is even a bomb in the camera? You could just be bluffing me."

"Only one way to find out."

Kim looked back up at the security camera. She saw the small red light flashing at her. She tried to go over the situation in her head. She had to diffuse a bomb in a camera without leaving its sight and without getting anyone else's attention.

"I'll leave you to figure out how to get it done." Then the phone clicked and all Kim heard was the dial tone.

She slowly walked up to the camera. She couldn't reach it without a stepladder. Then she remembered that there was one stored under the desk. She walked back over to it, carefully, making sure she was still in the camera's sight. She leaned over the desk and reached for the stepladder. She barely hooked it with her fingers and pulled it out and over the desk.

"Kim," said Monique, startling her, "what are you doing?"

"Uhh, nothing," said Kim, a little nervously, "I just need to reach for something. Hey, listen, a woman over by the jeans rack needs your help."

"Uhh, okay." Monique gave Kim a suspicious eye, but she went over towards the jean rack.

Kim took the stepladder and went over to the camera. She set up the ladder and went up a few steps until she was able to reach it, still in the camera's sight.

She managed to crack open the camera where the tape was, but instead of a tape, there was a small device inside that must have been the bomb. She tried to remember what she learned from diffusing other bombs that she had done in the past. She tested all the little parts to see if they could come off. All the time she kept looking over her shoulder to see if anyone noticed her. No one had, so far.

Then Kim found what looked to be something that could disable the device. She touched but then a beeping started to sound from the device. It got faster and faster. Then Kim realized that the bomb was about to detonate.

"EVERYBODY GET DOWN!!" she cried. People looked around startled. Kim dove to the floor and covered her head. The beeping stopped and Kim waited for Armageddon.

But nothing happened.

After a minute, Kim lifted her head and saw that Monique and a few of the customers were staring at her with confused and shocked looks on their faces.

Kim slowly got up, completely embarrassed. What she wouldn't give for Drakken to spray her with his embarrassment formula that made her disappear right now.

The phone at the desk rang again. Kim immediately went over to it and picked it up. "Very funny," she said, knowing who was on the other line.

"Oh, you thought so too?" said Mindbend, he then began to chuckle a bit maniacally.

"What was that about?"

Mindbend settled down and then said, "That was just a little test. And you passed. I wanted to see how you work in a restricted situation personally. And you did fairly well."

"Thank you."

"You respond well to stress. This could be more of a challenge than I thought. Now tell me something, with all those eyes still looking at you; why did you have Wade search on the status of Project Phoebus?"

Kim looked to see that some people were still staring at her. "I had a hunch that's where your intelligence may have come from. Only someone hit with that could be smarter than Wade. Hey, wait a minute. How did you know I asked Wade to check on Project Phoebus?"

Mindbend merely laughed.

"Did you hack his system?" asked Kim.

"Yes, I did. It wasn't that hard. He needs stronger firewalls."

"So what's with your interest in Project Phoebus?"

"Oh, just curious. You can't gain knowledge unless you seek it, after all." The phone clicked again.

Kim put the phone on the hook and looked up to see her manager right in her face. "Kim, my office, now!" she shouted, pointing to the office door.

This was not going to be pretty.

* * *

Please R&R


	4. A Billion Eyes

"Fired?!" cried Ron over the phone, suddenly sitting up on his bed.

"Wha… fired?!" squealed Rufus as he ran up onto Ron's shoulder to hear the conversation between Kim and Ron.

"No, Ron," said Kim laying down on her bed, "not fired, suspended. My boss just wants me to stay away for a couple weeks and get my head straight. She or Monique will let me know when I can come back."

"Oh, well, that's good. A termination would not look good on a college application."

"This could be a blessing in disguise. I'll have more time to go through those college acceptances now. And deal with Mindbend. I can't believe he almost cost me my job."

"What does he want with you? He's really starting to get to me. And it's not even me he's after."

"Whoa, calm down Ron."

"Sorry, KP. Boyfriend instincts were kicking in there."

"That's all right. It just shows you care, and that means a lot."

"Heh heh. Hey, no big, Kim. So are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Some static came over the line. "Hold on Ron, I'm losing you." She got up and moved to different part of the room. The static cleared. "Ron, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I can hear you fine Kim."

"All right. So, I think I've gotten through about three quarters of the college applications, provided that I don't get anymore. I might be able to finish with them soon."

"Oh, well, that's good. Then you can finally pick one and apply to it. Time is running out."

"Yeah, but what about you? Aren't you applying to Middleton College?"

"Yeah, but I want you to be happy KP. I want you to excel in whatever it is you decide to do, even if it means I can't be there."

"Oh, Ron. Don't say that. You're gonna make me feel bad."

"Sometimes relationships are about sacrifice KP," said Ron, going into his over-dramatic sobs, "You gotta do what you gotta do, especially when it comes to love."

"Ron, please, stop exaggerating. It's not gonna be that bad. We'll find a way to work it out."

"I'm sure you two will."

"What did you just say?" asked Kim, very confused.

"I said, I'm sure you and Ron will find a way to hold on to your relationship through college."

"But Ron, you're Ron. What are you saying?"

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Ron kept pressing buttons on his phone, trying to reach Kim. "Kim," he said into the line that had simply gone silent, "You there? Hello?"

"Hello?" squeaked Rufus into the speaker.

"Kim?" continued Ron, speaking into the phone line that had become disconnected.

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"No, Kim," said Ron over the line to Kim, "I'm not Ron." Suddenly the voice changed to one that was sinisterly familiar, "It's me."

"Mindbend!" shouted Kim, standing up.

"That's right."

"Great, you've tapped into my phone line too, and you have a voice changing device. That static I heard must have been you."

"Yeah, pretty much."

"What do you want now? Do you want me to lose my chance to get into college now? I almost lost my job thanks to you."

"I apologize for that Kim. I can assure you, my intent was not to get you fired. It was what I said it was, to test you."

"All right, for the millionth time, what are you up to?"

"Well, that's why I called you Kim. It's time to let you in on my little secret. Why don't you look under your pillow?"

Kim's eyes went over to the pillow of her slightly messy bed. She didn't make it for the past couple days. She looked straight at the pillow and a bunch of thoughts went through her mind. Could Mindbend have really been in her bedroom? Without her knowing?

She walked over to the bed and reached under the pillow. She felt a piece of paper under it and grabbed it and pulled it out. It turned out to be a vanilla envelope.

"Did you put this here?" asked Kim, shuddering slightly.

"Well," said Mindbend, "it wasn't the Tooth Fairy."

"How did you get into my house?"

"With surprising ease. You know, for a family that has a brain surgeon and a rocket scientist, it's really strange that they don't have or can't afford a security system. Especially when the criminal world's most hated person is their daughter."

"I don't need a security system. I've trained myself to be a light sleeper. If someone was here, I'd know it."

"I guess I'm not someone."

Kim suddenly tensed. This guy must have put ninjas to shame.

"Why don't you open that envelope?" asked Mindbend.

Kim dropped back to reality and did what he said. She pulled the metal flap back on the envelope and opened it up. She reached in and pulled out what was inside.

She looked at it carefully. It was a picture of a man. He looked familiar to Kim. The photo was black and white. The man had dark eyes and a beard. He was wearing a lab coat. Then it her. It was a photo of Dr. Zaruda, the inventor of Project Phoebus.

"Dr. Zaruda?" she asked, confused.

"You got it."

"Why? What's your relationship to him?"

"Oh, so you already know what the riddle is? Good, at least that saves me some trouble. Good luck."

"Wait…" but Mindbend hung up the phone. And then Kim was met with Ron's voice.

"Hello? Kim? Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here Ron."

"Oh, good. What happened?"

"Mindbend cut into the line. He just gave me a critical clue. Listen, hang up and then get on your Kimmunicator. We're gonna need to talk to Wade."

"Okay, Kim." The click of the phone hanging up sounded and the Kim hung hers up as well. She pulled the Kimmunicator out of her pocket and turned it on. A split screen of Ron and Wade turned up.

"What's up, Kim?" asked Wade.

"Wade, Mindbend just called me. He gave me a major clue about what he's scheming."

"What's that?"

"He managed to sneak into my house and he gave me a picture of Dr. Zaruda?"

"Wasn't that the guy who invented the machine that made Rufus super smart?" asked Ron.

"Project Phoebus," said Wade, "why did he do that?"

"He said that that's what we need to find out. That must be why he asked me why I had you look it up. We were on the right track before he gave us a clue. Did you find out anything about Project Phoebus Wade?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. No thefts or attempted thefts or anything."

"Well, try to look up anything you can on Dr. Zaruda and anyone else who worked on Project Phoebus with him."

"I'm on it."

"Oh, and Wade…" said Kim.

"What?"

"Be careful, Mindbend is in your system. He's able to watch everything you look up."

"Are you kidding?!"

"No, so just be careful with how you search. This guy is capable of anything."

"Okay, Wade out." Wade turned off his connection, leaving Ron still on the screen.

"So what do we do now?"

"Once Wade finds something, we'll start our investigation. If this has something to do with Project Phoebus, then you, of all people, should know that it can't be good."

"Yeah, you're right. But just be careful Kim. This guy is after you, and the last thing I want is something to happen to you. I love you."

"Oh, Ron," said Kim, slightly blushing, "I love you too." Now Kim was a little embarrassed, telling Ron she loved him over the Kimmunicator when Mindbend could very well be listening in.

"I'll see you later Kim. Bye."

"Bye, Ron." Kim turned off the Kimmunicator and then placed it back in her pocket.

She looked at the photo of Dr. Zaruda in her other hand. _What do you have to with this?_ she thought. With every answer she got from Mindbend, she had a million more questions.

Kim flipped the photo in her hand to see the other side. She looked at it and found something surprising. There was something written on the back of the photo. It was typed and pasted on the back so that way there was no way to match up hand-writing.

It said "I have a billion eyes, but I live in darkness".

"Another one of your little mind teasers?" Kim said to herself.

A billion eyes, Kim thought, what in the world does that mean?

* * *

Keep on sendin' those reviews. I love to hear feedback, good or bad. 


	5. The Assistant

The next day, Kim continued to go through the pile of college acceptances. The pile was getting smaller. She was getting closer to finally getting through all of the letters.

The house was empty. Kim's mother and father were at work and Jim and Tim were at Ron Reager's house.

Kim found herself looking out of the corner of her eye or over her shoulder. The thought of Mindbend being able to get into her house was bothering her more than she realized.

The Kimmunicator rang and Kim jumped slightly from the noise. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled it out. She pressed the and Wade came up on the screen.

"What've you got Wade?" she asked.

"I found something on Dr. Zaruda."

"What?"

"It turns out he moved from the last place you found him. I guess he figured if we could find him, then whoever else might be looking for him could find him."

"Have you been able to track him down?"

"No, but it turns out he had assistants when he was constructing Project Phoebus. Almost all of them are untraceable, but I managed to find one. A Dr. Elizabeth Dwyer, but now she's changed her name to Reed. She works at a hospital in Richmond, Virginia."

"Okay, we're on our way."

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Kim and Ron were on a private plane heading for Richmond wearing their mission clothes.

"Thanks for the ride, Mr. Wallace," said Kim from a seat in the small plane to the pilot.

"Hey, no problem Kim," said Mr. Wallace, who was in control of the plane, "After the way you sealed that giant crack in my runway, my personal transport business would have gone down the drain. It's the least I can do."

"No big. It's amazing the things you can do with day-old gum, especially when you have a whole lot of it."

"So Kim," said Ron, "how have the college acceptances been going?"

"Well, the pile is finally going down. I should be able to finish soon."

"Well. that's good. Cause, there's something I kinda wanted to tell you." Kim could tell that there was uneasiness in Ron's voice. Something was wrong.

"What is it?"

"Well, I… I decided to apply to Middleton College. It's the best option that I've got, and I'm gonna take it."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, Kim. I mean, c'mon, let's face it. You're Kim Possible. You can do absolutely anything and I'm just… me, the sidekick. I'm starting to think that sidekick means that I get kicked to the side. Not by you, but by everyone who recognizes you."

"Oh, Ron, don't say that. You know you're not worthless."

"I know Kim. But a lot of other people think I am. I know I shouldn't care what other people think. You've taught me that time and time again. But in this case, it does matter."

Kim looked at Ron with a little sadness. "I guess you have a point there."

"But Kim, just because I'm going there, I don't want to drag you down with me. You should still go to whatever college you want to go to. Don't let my decision affect yours."

"Ron, I… are you saying you want to break up?"

"What? No, no. I'm just saying this is something that I have to do. We can still keep in contact of course. It's just… we might not get to see each other that often."

Kim leaned over to Ron and kissed him on the lips. "Ron, you know I don't want to be away from you. I love you."

"I love you too, KP. It's just that, this is the only option I have. I've gotta take it."

"I understand. You gotta do what you gotta do."

"I don't want it to ruin our relationship, or our friendship."

"It won't. I promise. We'll find a way to make it work." Kim and Ron kissed again.

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A couple of hours later, Kim and Ron arrived at the airport in Richmond. They headed for the hospital that Wade told them Dr. Dwyer/Reed was working.

They found the building and went inside. This wasn't an ordinary hospital. The floors had rugs on them. The walls were painted forest green.

There was a desk in the middle of the room. Kim and Ron walked up to it. A woman was sitting at it typing on a computer. She saw the two of them and turned in her chair to face them. "Hi there. Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Kim, "first, I just have a question. What kind of hospital is this?"

"Well, this isn't really a _hospital_ hospital. It's more of a research hospital. We take patients who have abnormal or undiagnosed diseases. We try to study what the disease might be and try to find a cure for it at the same time."

"Really, interesting. Well, anyway, we're looking for a Dr. Elizabeth Reed."

"Do you have some kind of appointment?"

"Uhh, no. We have some questions we need to ask her."

"Well, let me see," said the woman at the desk. She turned to the computer and started typing. "She might be making rounds right about now. Oh, she's in her office now. I'll page her." She picked up a phone and dialed a number. "Dr. Reed… There are a couple of young people here to see you. They say they need to ask you some questions… All right, I'll tell them." She hung up the phone. "Dr. Reed can see you now. Her office is down the hall on the right, Room 129."

"Thank you," said Kim.

Kim and Ron walked down the hall. "Wow," said Ron, "who would've thought that a hospital could have a comforting feeling."

"Yeah, you're right. They must have some nice funding, since it's a research hospital and all."

"I wonder what kind of diseases they research."

"Probably ones that don't have cures."

"Like the common cold?"

"No, Ron. Serious diseases, like Alzheimer's and things like that. I would presume anyway."

They found the room and knocked on the door. "Come in," said a female voice from the inside. Kim opened the door and they walked in.

"Hello," said the woman, "I'm Dr. Reed. Please sit down." Kim and Ron did so on two chairs that were in front of the desk. Dr. Reed had long brown hair and glasses on her green eyes. She had olive skin and was wearing a white doctor's coat. "So, how can I help you two?"

"Hi there," said Kim, "I'm Kim Possible, and this is Ron Stoppable. We have a few questions we would like to ask you."

"Oh, well, ask away. I'm happy that people are intrigued by my work."

"Well, they're not exactly about your work here. Our questions are about something else you worked on."

"Oh?" Dr. Reed said, looking slightly concerned.

"Yes," Kim leaned in and whispered, "Project Phoebus."

Dr. Reed's eyes widened. Then she stood up and walked around the desk slowly and headed for the door. For a second, Kim thought she was going to run and got ready to go after in case she did. But Dr. Reed instead closed the door, and locked it. "Why should I tell you about my work in that?"

"Because there has been this masked person named Mindbend who has been targeting me. He's been giving me these riddles and clues. His most recent one was a picture of Dr. Zaruda."

Dr. Reed sighed and walked back over to her desk. She sat down and put a hand to her forehead. "I should have known I would never escape this."

"What do you mean?"

"This person, Mindbend, what does he look like?"

"We don't know," said Ron, "he wears a mask that covers his entire face. He has these deep blue eyes though."

Dr. Reed's eyes quickly looked up at Kim and Ron.

"Is it someone you know.?" asked Kim. "We need to know because we believe Dr. Zaruda is in danger. We have to find him."

Dr. Reed didn't say anything. She just shook her head.

"What is going on Dr. Reed, or should I say Dr. Dwyer? We have to know."

Dr. Reed lifted her head up and looked very nervous. "If I tell you, what you need to know, Dr. Zaruda will get into a lot of trouble. And so will I, and anyone else who helped in developing Project Phoebus."

"We promise that won't happen. We just have to find him."

"No, it's not that simple. I do know this Mindbend person you're talking about. And I think I know what he might be up to."

"What?"

Dr. Reed let out another sigh. "You must know about what Project Phoebus is, correct?"

"Yeah, we know," said Kim, "one of us got hit with it and another pretended to be hit with it."

Ron rubbed the back of his neck and smiled nervously while Rufus popped out of his pocket and squeaked "Hi."

"Well, there was a time when Dr. Zaruda wanted the machine to make someone a genius permanently, rather than it lasting a few days. Of course, he got the intellect of those of Salk, Nash, Gates, and all those others. But he had to test it on someone."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, he needed human test subjects. Many of them were young teenagers. He made many prototypes of Project Phoebus. But they were all failures. A lot of the subjects, the children died. The Phoebus prototypes disrupted their brain waves. They caused them to go into insanity before they died from strokes or epilepsy. Sometimes I can still hear the screams of the patients who were going through a mental hell."

"You mean Dr. Zaruda… _murdered_ children for this project?"

"Of course he didn't want anyone to die. He kept trying to improve it. Eventually he found the way to make Project Phoebus work. But the first person it worked on, wasn't exactly the most savoring."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ron.

"His name was Skyler Hammond. I remember that he had these dark blue eyes. They were almost intimidating. He showed the greatest results of all the tests for Project Phoebus. He became so intelligent, it was scary. He was coming up with the most brilliant ideas, but they were very dark as well. And he had an attitude towards all the doctors that was very unsettling. That was when Dr. Zaruda decided that the increased intelligence should only be temporary. If it fell into the hands of evil, it could have meant terrible things. So he modified it to the way it is now. But Skyler escaped, with his new found intelligence still very much intact."

"Oh my gosh," said Kim.

"He also showed a huge distaste for how the subjects were treated. Especially the ones he made friends with. Most of them went into insanity and died. Afterwards, the government found out about the project and came in and took over. Most of us managed to get away. If we were caught, it meant our lives were over. That's why Dr. Zaruda and the rest of us are in hiding or had our names changed. He's hiding from the government so he can't be arrested and sent to federal prison."

"So, you think Mindbend, or Skyler Hammond, is out for revenge."

"I know he is. But I can't understand why he would go after you."

"Well, he did say that I was the only one who could stop him. I guess he figured I would catch on to his plot and try to stop him."

"I should have known this would come back to haunt me."

"So where is Dr. Zaruda? He's in great danger."

Dr. Reed turned and looked out the window. "He left me his location and number in case of an emergency. That usually means if someone from the feds is on the verge of finding him. He's in a cabin in the woods of Cheyenne, Wyoming."

"Okay, Ron, let's go."

"You got it, KP," said Ron.

"Please protect him. And be very careful. As far as I know, Skyler is the smartest person on the planet. And there is a darkness in him that I just could never explain. Don't let any harm come to Henry. He's not a bad person. He never wanted any of this to happen."

"Henry?" asked Kim.

"Dr. Zaruda."

"Oh, don't worry. We'll take care of him." With that, Kim and Ron headed out of the hospital to find Dr. Zaruda.

* * *

Please R&R 


	6. The Good Doctor

Sorry for my lack in update. I have been so busy, it's ridiculous.

* * *

The next day, Kim continued to go through the pile of college acceptances. The pile was getting smaller. She was getting closer to finally getting through all of the letters.

The house was empty. Kim's mother and father were at work and Jim and Tim were at Ron Reager's house.

Kim found herself looking out of the corner of her eye or over her shoulder. The thought of Mindbend being able to get into her house was bothering her more than she realized.

Sorry for my lack of updating. I have been so busy, it's ridiculous.

Kim and Ron headed back to the airport where Mr. Wallace was waiting in his private jet. The two of them walked through the airport and reached the gate for Mr. Wallace's private jet. A woman was standing at a desk by the gate.

"Excuse me," said Kim, "is this plane ready for take-off yet?"

"Unfortunately, no," said the woman, "Mr. Wallace has left for a little while. When he comes back, he'll be ready to take you where you need to go."

"Hmm, guess we wait," said Kim.

"Hey," said Ron, "I saw a Bueno Nacho in the front lobby. Why don't we get a bite to eat while we eat?"

"Mm-hmm," squeaked Rufus as he came out of Ron's pocket after hearing Bueno Nacho, "Hungry."

"All right, I guess I could eat," said Kim.

So they headed to the front lobby of the airport and into the Bueno Nacho. Ron got his standard Naco order and Kim got her usual salad. They also got a plate of Nachos to share with each other.

As they ate, Kim noticed an uncomfortable silence between the two of them. In all the times they have eaten at a Bueno Nacho, they never had silence between them. Kim couldn't help but think that they were going to be separate now that Ron had made his decision to go to Middleton College. That could have been what Ron was thinking about. To break the silence Kim spoke up.

"So, now we know who this Mindbend guy is."

"Yeah," said Ron, "that was a freaky story."

"So, Mindbend, or Skyler Hammond rather, is out for revenge on Dr. Zaruda."

"Yeah, basic villains' plot. Do you think he wants to kill Dr. Zaruda?"

"I don't know. But we should assume so. We have to get to Wyoming fast and warn Dr. Zaruda of what's happening. But Mindbend tapped into Wade's computer system and the Kimmunicator. There's a really good chance he might already know we're here."

"Man, how do we stop someone who's watching our every move?" Ron asked as he took a bit out his Naco. Rufus nibbled at a Naco on Ron's plate.

"It's not like we haven't done it before."

"Yeah, but this guy is serious. He wants revenge for a life of tortured. Not to mention he's really, really smart. And I just can't compete with that."

"C'mon, Ron. Give yourself some credit. We can get this guy."

"You mean, you can get him."

"Ron?! What is wrong with you? Why are you putting yourself down like this? I've never seen you like this before."

"Sorry KP. I guess this whole college thing is weighing down on my mind. I just don't know what we're going to do."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, how are we going to stay a couple? You'll be going off to the stars and I'm just…"

"Ron, don't you dare finish that sentence. We're going to find a way through this. But right now, we need to focus on Mindbend. I mean, we can't exactly be a couple if this Mindbend guy is trying to kill me as well as Dr. Zaruda."

Ron looked straight at Kim. His eyes focused right into hers. "You're… you're right KP. I'm sorry. I just… I don't want to be apart from you Kim."

"Ron, we'll find a way. I promise."

Ron looked to Kim and smiled. "Thanks Kim. You always find a way to reassure me and make everything all right. I guess sometimes even I forget that you can do anything."

"Oh, Ron."

"Awww," squealed Rufus as he looked up from his Naco.

After they finished with their meals, they headed back to the gate that led to the plane. Mr. Wallace was at the desk talking with the woman. They both looked over and Mr. Wallace said, "Aah, Ms. Possible. Are you ready to go?"

"Actually," said Kim, "we need you to take us to one more place Mr. Wallace, if that's all right."

"Oh, no problem. As long as it's within the country, I'll take you anywhere."

"Great, we need to go to Cheyenne, Wyoming."

"I can work that. I've got the plane on a full tank of gasoline. I can get you in there in a few hours."

"Thank you, Mr. Wallace."

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A few hours later, Kim and Ron were at the airport in Cheyenne, Wyoming. They grabbed a map and looked around for nearby woods or parks where Dr. Zaruda could have been hiding.

After about an hour of narrowing down possible locations, Kim and Ron were able to figure out some places where a cabin could be built.

Since Kim and Ron weren't expecting to be going out in the woods, they didn't have their regular ATVs, so they had to find a place where they could rent a pair.

After they did, they took off for a nearby forest where they figured Dr. Zaruda could be hiding. After about another of searching, the sun was beginning to set. Kim and Ron turned on the headlights to the ATVs.

"Maybe we should call it a night Kim," said Ron, "It's getting dark. We won't be able to see at all."

"I guess you're…" But then Kim saw something up ahead of her. "Wait, look up ahead."

Up ahead, was a light coming through a window. It was a two-story cabin.

"Could it be Dr. Zaruda's?" asked Ron.

"Only one way to find out."

Kim and Ron pulled up close to the cabin. They walked up to the door and Kim knocked on it. After a moment, there was no answer, so Kim knocked on the door again. This time, Kim and Ron heard some rustling on the inside of the cabin. A minute later, the door opened up a crack and a man's faced peeked through.

"What do you want?" said a deep voice.

"Dr. Zaruda?" asked Kim.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"It's me, Kim Possible. We met before about Project Phoebus. This is Ron Stoppable, the one I told you about who I thought was affected by your machine."

"Has something else happened with it?"

"No. You're in danger and we need to talk to you, now."

Dr. Zaruda looked around and then opened the door even wider. "Come in," he said, "have a seat."

Kim and Ron walked into the house and sat on a couch in the middle of the room in front of a fireplace. The light from several lanterns revealed Dr. Zaruda's very scruffy looks. His black hair was nearly three feet long and his beard reached the top of his legs.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Dr. Zaruda asked.

"No, thank you," said Kim.

"No, thanks," said Ron.

"Uh-uh," squeaked Rufus.

"So, what is going on?" asked Dr. Zaruda, "how is it that I'm in danger?"

Kim told Dr. Zaruda of Mindbend and how they found out about Dr. Zaruda's experiments with Dr. Zaruda.

When Kim was finished, Dr. Zaruda said, "So, Skyler is back for revenge. I have to be honest. I can't blame him."

"We want to help you Dr. Zaruda," said Kim, "it's only a matter of time before he finds you and does whatever it is he wants to do to you."

"Well, I truly appreciate your concern… but I'm afraid I must decline your offer."

"What? Why?!" shouted Ron.

"If I leave, the government won't have any pity on me. You can't put me in any kind of protection. The government has been looking for me for years. If I come out of hiding, they'll throw me straight into federal prison. I can't go there. I'll never survive."

"But, Dr. Zaruda…" started Kim, but she was cut off.

"I'm sorry. I've made up my mind. I will not risk letting the feds find me."

"You know Dr. Zaruda, sooner or later, you're going to have to atone for what you did."

"I never meant for anyone to be hurt, let alone die. I was only trying to improve human intelligence. I never imagined something like this could happen. This is exactly why I fixed Project Phoebus for the intelligence to be temporary, so no one of evil intent could accomplish anything with it."

"Well, it's too late for that now. That person with evil intent is out there and is looking for you."

"I'm sorry. I will not expose myself to the feds, even if it means that Skyler will find me, which I doubt will even happen. Nobody can ever find me, and the only person who knows where I am is Elizabeth. And now you, I suppose."

"Which means we could tell the government where you are," said Ron, having a flash of brilliance.

"And risk having Skyler know where I am so he could get me? I don't think so."

Ron was quiet for a moment, having his moment of intelligence quickly squashed.

"Listen," said Dr. Zaruda, "I understand you want to help me, but I cannot accept the help you are offering. Now, it's dark. You'll never get back through the woods now. You can sleep here for the night. One of you can use the couch and I have an extra cot in my closet. But in the morning, I would like you to leave."

Dr. Zaruda got out of his rocking chair. He headed towards the closet to pull out the cot.

"Let's just go with his offer for now," Kim whispered to Ron, "We can try to convince him again in the morning."

"All right," said Ron, "I can't believe he won't let us help him. You think he wants to die?"

"I don't know. Hiding out here, I would say no, but I can't be sure. Either way, we can't let it happen."

Dr. Zaruda finished pulling out the cot and opened it up. He grabbed a blanket off of a chair and draped it over the cot. "All right, all set," he said, "I'll be up in my room if you need anything. Good night." He walked out of the room and the sound of footsteps going up stairs could be heard.

"Do you want the cot, or would you like the couch?" asked Ron.

"I'll go with the couch Ron," said Kim, "unlike you, I can sleep anwhere."

"All right, good night Kim." Ron leaned over and gave Kim a kiss on the forehead. He went over to the cot and sat down on it. He slid off his shoes and then settled into the cot.

Kim did the same and lay down on the couch, grabbing another blanket that was draped over the couch and covering herself. Slowly, they both drifted into sleep.

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Back in Richmond, Dr. Elizabeth Dwyer/Reed sat in her office alone, still getting over the shock of knowing that Skyler Hammond was now seeking revenge on Dr. Zaruda. On Henry.

Almost everyone else who worked in the building had gone home. The only people left were some of the night nurses who looked after the patients on the upper floors. She sat at the desk drinking a mug of coffee.

She kept finding herself reflecting on the days when she a part of Project Phoebus, the dark days. She found herself watching patients, children, sit in the chair and the mechanical ring lower around their heads and send the electrical impulses into their brains.

She watched many of them gripping their heads as they felt the intense pain of their neurons moving much to quickly and their synapses firing with ten times the force than they should have been.

She watched them laughing manically or attacking fellow patients and doctors and had to be tied down or sedated.

It was all she could do not to cry. And she only stayed with it for one reason. For one selfish, stupid reason. The same reason she never would have told anyone where to find Dr. Zaruda.

Because she-

Just then, Dr. Reed heard something outside her door. It could have been the janitor just going by. She got out of her chair and walked over to the door. She opened it up a crack and looked out into the hallway. There was no one outside. No one walking by.

She closed the door and turned back to her desk. She was met with a shocking sight.

Mindbend was standing right behind her desk. The window opened behind him with the curtains slightly swaying from the small breeze.

Dr. Reed gasped and backed against the door.

"Are you really that surprised to see me?" asked Mindbend through his mask using the voice-altering device attached on the inside. "Did you really not see this coming?"

Dr. Reed straightened up and looked at the masked figure dressed almost completely in black in front of her. "I guess not."

"Do you realize the pain and suffering you caused all those people? Some of them were even my friends Dr. Dwyer. You killed nearly all of them."

"I know. And I'll never earn forgiveness for such a thing. I can't even forgive myself."

"Is that why you work here? To try to help those who are suffering. To try to find a way to somehow redeem yourself."

"I know what I did. It's beyond forgiveness. So why don't you just do what you came here to do? If you're here to kill me, then kill me."

"I killed you ten minutes ago."

Dr. Reed went wide-eyed and leaned back against the wall. She stared straight into Mindbend's dark blue eyes.

"H-how…" she barely sputtered out.

"With the coffee. You like it de-caf with two crèmes. I added a little something else."

Dr. Reed slid downward and sat down on the floor. She looked back up at Mindbend. "Will it hurt?" she asked, her lip trembling.

"For the last few seconds, it will feel like fire."

Dr. Reed started to breathe heavily from her realization that she was about to die. Mindbend bent down and looked directly into her eyes.

"You could have left anytime. But you stayed. You kept taking part in a pointless slaughter. Why? Why did you do it? And don't give me any of that 'good of mankind' nonsense."

"Because… because I loved him. I didn't want to be without him, no matter what."

"You'd sacrifice lives… for love."

"I'm sorry… Skyler. I never… we never wanted it to happen."

Suddenly, Dr. Reed felt it. Her breathe started coming out very rapidly and unevenly. Her entire body felt like it was set on fire. The pain and suffering she rightly deserved.

"H… Hen… Henry…" she uttered. And then it was over.

* * *

Sorry again for not updating. Please don't hate me for it. And please read and review. 


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